Emm Media

Doctor Who: The Daleks (part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:49:48 PST

The second story in the first season of Doctor Who aired on the BBC between 21st December 1963 and 1st February 1964. The story arc is known as The Daleks and introduced what would become the Doctor’s greatest foes. I find it highly amusing that my spell check is underlining the word Daleks as these hideous and terrifying creatures were such a great part of my childhood!

First Doctor - William Hartnell
Companion - Susan Foreman (played by Carole Ann Ford)
Support Characters: Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright

Planet Skaro, time unknown

The Dead Planet

Broadcast: 21 December 1963

The TARDIS lands on what appears to be a dead planet and the crew encounter a petrified forest. The Doctor sabotages the ship so that he can force the crew to explore a city that they see in the distance.

Things we learn in this episode: Food on the TARDIS comes from the TARDIS nutrition machine in the form of nutrition bars that taste like meals.

Cities on foreign planets look remarkably like Lego models.

The Survivors

Broadcast: 28 December 1963

The crew learn that the planet is not uninhabited as they are captured by the hideous Daleks. They begin to suffer from radiation sickness and in a bid to get hold of the radiation medication, the Daleks send Susan on a mission to retrieve some from the other inhabitants of the planet, the Thals.

Things we learn in this episode: The Daleks and the Thals engaged in a neutronic war which left the survivors of both races mutated. The Daleks are confined to their ~~pepper pots~~ travel machines and cannot leave the bounds of their city.

The Daleks of the 1963 show are as terrifying and creepy as they have remained throughout the history of the show. The only thing preventing me from retreating behind my sofa was my dedication in writing up this post.

The Escape

Broadcast: 4 January 1964

Susan runs into the Alydon one of the Thals and it turn out that they are not disfigured like the Daleks but are a beautiful, perfect race of people. Alydon gives Susan additional radiation medication.

The Daleks start a grand plan to trick The Doctor and the crew into “a false sense of security” by giving them food and refreshments so that they can help lure the Thal to the Dead City.

The prisoners come up with an ingenious plan to hijack one of the Dalek’s travel machines.

Things we learn this episode: The Daleks were teachers and philosophers before the war with the Thals.

The Daleks are able to move using a form of static electricity and the base of their machines requires contact with the floor.

The Daleks are slimy little creatures not unlike snails once removed from their shell.

The Ambush

Broadcast: 11 January 1964

The plan to hijack one of the machines is successful and the TARDIS crew escape. As they make their escape, they witness the Daleks ambushing the Thals and they escape with the surviving Thal.

The crew are just about to make their way back to the TARDIS when Ian realises they left a vital TARDIS component back down in the Daleks’ city.

Things we learn this episode: The Daleks are evil, scheming and vengeful.

Planet 51

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:50:35 PST

We took a chance yesterday and turned up at our local cinema without knowing what was showing beforehand. As it turned out, there were only two shows starting around the time we arrived and as we had already seen New Moon, we landed up going to see Planet 51.

As a lifetime fan of The Jetsons and a lover of the futuristic imaginings and alien fascination of the 1950s and 1960s, I was immediately taken with the film. I just loved the art deco buildings, the retro outfits and the 1950s music. They had a classic bowling alley too and hover vehicles that matched classic 1950s car models.

I enjoyed the pop culture references and the slightly off-colour jokes that kids are unlikely to catch. I liked the reversal whereby humans are the aliens invading another planet.

In fact, there were so many levels on which the film was cute and funny. There was a whole side story about Rover, the explorer robot pictured above. Trust a robot to be more interested in rocks than life forms and to send back data suggesting the planet is uninhabited!

Planet 51 Trailer

I honestly giggled and sniggered my way through the whole film but alas, The Husband didn't like it at all. I didn’t find the film was overly moralising which I really appreciated and I didn’t find the romantic component to be unrealistic either. Rather, it was a simple and casual film aimed at young children but which would provide entertainment for adults too.

The film got 21% from the critics at Rotten Tomatoes and 72% from the community. Given that Where The Wild Things Are is being released in the UK on 11 December and James Cameron’s Avatar on 17 December and Sherlock Holmes on 26 December, I’d say get this one on DVD.

For 91 minutes of giggles and laughter, I give the film four out of five stars.

Book review: Circle of Fire – Keri Arthur

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:59:16 PST

I seemed to remember quite enjoying Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur which was why I was quite excited to find this book in the library. The front cover review read “may become the most popular paranormal series in the twenty-first century” and I thought “score”!

Well, the only reason I actually finished this book is because a) I made myself a promise back in 2005 or so to always finish the books I started and b) I had already felt compelled to break that promise earlier this year with Interview With The Vampire and am trying to push up my total ‘read’ count by the end of the year.

Conscious as I am that the author might actually come across this review, I’ll sum it up by saying that the book was terrible. I had wanted to promise at this point that I would give the next book in the series a try because I know Keri Arthur is better than this and series often improve after the first or second books. There are two reasons why this is unlikely to happen though. Firstly, I see no that I said that about the last book I reviewed of hers, Full Moon Rising. Secondly, I’ve taken a look at the description of the next book and it has nothing to do with this book. Different city, different characters; why is she even bothering to market it as the same series? Sure, they both have magic in them but she’d probably have more luck marketing them as the next Harry Potter books!

In an effort to stay on topic, I’d say there are five main reasons why I believe the book was terrible:

The physical descriptions of the main characters were so corny. They all had gold and copper hair or amber eyes. It was like something straight out of a bad romance novel but I’d thought Keri Arthur was better than this!
In fact, it is almost as if Keri Arthur read the Wikipedia entry on Mary Sue characters and decided to write a book around it. Madeleine Smith is a textbook “Angsty Sue” with her deep, dark past of child and spousal abuse and the guilt she feels over the death of her husband. Yawn.
Keri Arthur had also obviously jotted down a couple of descriptive terms and thought herself pretty clever because she used them all several times. So Jon (the love interest) was constantly “raking” his hands through his hair and first we are told that Maddy would rather sit next to a dozen Hanks than watch Jon with another woman (Eleanor) only to read a chapter later that she would rather put up with a dozen Eleanors than contend with Hank. Hackneyed, clichéd and ultimately boring. It is not that hard to describe situations using good writing as opposed to the use of hyperbole and exaggeration.
We read so many of the characters’ thoughts and feelings (in italics) that it was constantly jarring to return to the third-person narrative style of the book. Why didn’t she just use first-person narrative style or describe the characters’ thoughts and feelings from the third-person view? It was badly written and a mish mash of writing styles.
And finally… if Madeleine Smith had “copper” hair or whatever other tired references to deep red Arthur could find, why does the woman on the front of the book have blonde hair? The only blonde woman in the story is the evil Eleanor and she definitely wouldn’t be looking so brave and courageous on the cover!

One last thing which normally wouldn’t have impacted on my rating of the book but was slightly disappointing nonetheless was the setting. Keri Arthur is Australian and one of the most interesting things about Full Moon Rising was that it was set in Melbourne. So I was somewhat disappointed to find this book was set in the United States. That might have been okay, I guess, but she also gave all the characters stereotypical American accents and mannerisms. Authors should always stick to what they know (in my not so humble opinion) even if that knowledge has come from painstaking research.

As the book had a faint glimmer of interest in that Jon was a shapeshifter and Maddy was a psychic and firestarter, I give the book two out of five stars.

Betrayed

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:08:02 PST

Oh, what a disappointment! Betrayed is the second book in PC and Kristin Cast’s House of Night series. Barely two weeks before I picked up Betrayed I read, loved and gave a gushing 5-star review of the first book in the House of Night series called Marked.

I really enjoyed Marked for its descriptions of ancient elemental magic and the way this was interwoven with Native American mythology. I thought it was original and had an interesting take on the vampyre mythology. Most of all, I loved the slow-burning romance with the strong, clever and mysterious Erik and I liked the strength and character of the protagonist Zoey.

My opinion of this book however is that the only person betrayed here is the reader.

Zoey is shown to have little to no character as she strings along three boys and is ultimately responsible for the death of two others. I mentioned in my review of the first book that I did not take offence to what other readers had described as the authors’ overt and constant moralising as I had been a headstrong and opinionated teenager myself and felt that this read quite true. But cheating on people and treating them like commodities is a bit rich coming from a character who has supposedly high moral standing.

From being principled enough to support Zoey in the face of huge peer pressure to the contrary in Marked, Erik becomes nothing more than a cardboard cut-out of a boy in Betrayed. He is a mere disciple of Zoey now or better yet, a lap dog.

To be fair, there is an actual betrayal in Betrayed but so much of the book is spent on superfluous rubbish and minor details and then you get to the end to find a glorified “to be continued” notice.

How lame.

I was actually almost offended by this and the very English (and slightly rude) saying “taking the piss” comes to mind when I try to explain it. Not enough happened in this book to draw it out over two volumes and I just don’t believe that they couldn't have finished the story in this book. I don’t know what the actual story behind it was but I get the feeling that they were overwhelmed by the success of the first book and wanted to ensure that they could ride the wave for at least two more books.

I’ll definitely read the next book in the series Chosen but I’ll be borrowing it from the library this time and not rushing out and buying it like I did with the first two books. I’ve heard that Chosen is quite good so we’ll see; maybe I will land up buying it in the end.

I give Betrayed three stars and reserve the right to come back and reduce that to two stars!

Are you listening to Parov Stelar yet???

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:54:24 PST

I can’t get enough of Parov Stelar, I really can’t. It just makes me gleeful and happy to listen to his music and my favourite time of day is when I get off the train and can switch my iPod up full blast and listen to “Charleston Butterfly”.

I just got his new album Coco and it is phenomenal. Unfortunately, he hasn’t made very many videos which is disappointing as I’d love to see these songs visualised.

These are my favourite three songs but they are music only, no videos:

And these are three videos I did manage to find of his:

(This is the first song I ever heard of his)

(And I absolutely love this one)

Seriously, rush off right now and buy one of his albums.

Parov Stelar website

iTunes ¦ Amazon

Twitter ¦ MySpace ¦ Facebook

Etage Noir recordings YouTube channel (with official videos from his new album)

Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:38:35 PST

On Saturday 23 November 1963, Doctor Who exploded onto British television screens with the first episode of the story arc named "An Unearthly Child”. The arc consisted of four episodes.

First Doctor - William Hartnell
Companion - Susan Foreman (played by Carole Ann Ford)
Support Characters: Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright

Planet: Earth, 1963 & 100,000 BC

An Unearthly Child

Broadcast: 23 November 1963

In this episode we meet two school teachers who are concerned about a strange but profoundly knowledgeable student called Susan Foreman. Susan appears to be a normal teenager who listens to music and follows the fashions of the day but when the teachers try to follow her home, they find that she has slipped into an old junkyard.

We meet the First Doctor for the very first time and he is an arrogant and cantankerous man. The characters enter into the TARDIS which looks like a police box but is much bigger inside than it appears from the outside.

After a heated discussion with the teachers, the Doctor decides to warp to another time and place as he does not trust that the teachers will not expose him.

Things we learn in this episode: Susan states that she was born in another time and she already hints towards having seen the London of the future.

Cave of Skulls

Broadcast: 30 November 1963

The teachers struggle to believe it as they come to realise that they are obviously stuck far in past. It is in fact 100,000 BC, the Stone Age. The Doctor is kidnapped by cavemen and the group is caught up in the political wrangling of a tribe that has lost the ability to make fire and keep themselves warm.

They are taken prisoner and kept in the Cave of Skulls.

Things we learn in this episode: The TARDIS as a police box: The Doctor and Susan are both concerned that the TARDIS is still a police box and that it hasn’t changed to blend it with its surroundings as it usually does. It seems the TARDIS has become stuck in this form.

“Doctor Who”: Barbara Wright calls The Doctor “Doctor Foreman” assuming he has the same surname as Susan. Ian Chesterton replies, “That’s not his name. Who is he? Doctor Who?”

The Forest of Fear

Broadcast: 7 December 1963

The group are freed by the widow of the previous leader as she believes fire to be a bad omen and she wants to prevent them making it for the tribe.

They escape into the forest but are pursued by two of the cavemen. An animal attacks their pursuers and despite The Doctor’s objections, Barbara insists on helping him.

Things we learn in this episode: The Doctor is willing to put his own safety over the safety of others. Is this the first sign of the Doctor’s sense of self-importance and destiny?

It is possible to communicate meaningfully with cavemen if you speak slowly and leave verbs out of your sentences. I must try that next time I’m in France.

The Firemaker

Broadcast: 14 December 1963

The group are captured again and involved in more of the power struggle. After finally providing fire for the tribe, the group escape being assimilated into the tribe and make it to the TARDIS.

Things we learn in this episode: As the TARDIS dematerialises, The Doctor tells the teachers that he is not able to take them back to 1963 as he cannot accurately control where or when the TARDIS goes. He claims that he has insufficient data an admits to Ian that he has no idea where they will end up.

Verdict

I think that the set and props were amazing for 1963 and the concept of the cavemen as intelligent human beings with hierarchical structures was interesting. It is jarring to The Doctor as such a grumpy old man but I’m looking forward to gradually connecting him with The Doctor that we know and love today.

There is no point giving the early shows a star rating or anything of the sort because these early episodes have to be appreciated for how progressive and exciting they must have been at the time and also for the background and history they provide.

Film: New Moon manages to thrill

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:46:17 PST

New Moon is one of those films. Either you're a fan and you care about what people are saying about the film or you really, really don't. Despite having been so disappointed with the book and with the film Twilight, I cared. I really, really wanted this film to be better than the last one and to explore some of the incredible range of feelings and emotions that was present in the books.

At the end of the day, although I might object to Stephenie Meyer slowly and painfully removing Bella's backbone and eroding her sense of self-worth over the books, there is just something about the Twilight-verse that drew me in and kept me fascinated. The idea of a perfect, immortal man falling in love with a shy teenage girl and existing just for her was wish fulfilment at its best and it is no surprise that so many women and girls were captivated.

And so it was that I began to look forward to this next instalment in the film realisation of the Twilight saga almost as soon as I had watched and hated Twilight. I lapped up all the news about who would play the Volturi and how Taylor Lautner was filling out for his role as Jacob Black and I silently and secretly counted down the days until I could see the film.

That day arrived on Saturday as I dragged my extremely long-suffering husband along to the Trocadero in Piccadilly Circus to see New Moon along with 499 other 14-year-old girls. Seriously, the whole theatre was swooning at Taylor Lautner's body (I wasn't too well composed myself) as my husband openly tried to slash his wrists through friction burning them with his index finger. Who knew a teenaged chick-flick could do that to a grown man?

I was surprised and thrilled to find that I loved the film. I absolutely adored it and want to go see it again. I felt that it was true to the book in all the important places and it was just so much better than Twilight.

The scene where Bella meets her future self was subtle and well done. I loved seeing Jasper's reaction to Bella's blood and seeing the rest of the family struggle to control him as he fought to break through them to get to Bella.

Jacob and the rest of the wolf pack were well cast and their brotherhood and camaraderie was obvious and believable. The special effects with the wolves worked better than I could ever have imagined and somehow, the men were so... doglike. I guess that only makes sense (and is a vague compliment) if you read as much vampire / werewolf fiction as I tend to these days.

My absolute favourite part of the film was the Volturi. I think they were fantastically realised on the big screen and I loved Martin Sheen and Dakota Fanning as Aro and Jane respectively. I'd found that scene a bit confusing in the book and it was just done so well in the film. It makes me want to try read the book again to make sense of it all!

Given my attraction to all characters dark and evil, it is no surprise that I liked the Volturi so much. Their costumes, make up and design were phenomenal too.

The cinematography was beautiful in the film, as it was in Twilight. There are forests, beaches and sweeping vistas of the ocean and cliffs. The soundtrack and use of music was excellent (which of course I would say, being a huge fan of indie music). I miss Carter Burwell’s haunting score but the music worked well without the addition of a score.

I'm glad they left out the scene on the plane towards the end where Edward has to spell out his love for Bella. In fact, I agree with many people that Melissa Rosenberg might well have done a better job of writing the screenplay than Stephenie Meyer did of writing the book.

The vampire's make up looked a lot better in this film in that it looked slightly less like make up but Edward still looked like he had flour on his face and cranberry sauce on his lips. Also, while it is more true to the actual book, I found the bronze eyes of the Cullen family to be quite off-putting. It looked like they were wearing bronze contact lenses, which is exactly what they were, which is exactly how it was described in the book but they looked really weird on Edward and Alice. In fact, I found it hard to find Edward attractive and I think I might be moving towards Team Jacob as Edward looked silly in the film. Actually, scrap that. I’m definitely Team Volturi.

So, apart from funny bronze eyes, I still loved the film and give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

The Host (aka Stephenie Meyer Has Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:30:48 PST

The Host by Stephenie Meyer is just the type of body-snatching, brink of the extinction of humankind type of science fiction tale I’ve always loved. The premise isn’t entirely original: worm-like parasites attach themselves to the central nervous systems of human hosts making them nothing more than puppets. They have the misguided belief that humanity is wasted on humans and that they can do a better job of running Earth than we ever did.

They never counted on Melanie Stryder though, a human host who refuses to give in.

The book is full of the wonder of humanity, the thrill of our senses and the blessings of the human experience. That sounds pretty cheesy (and it is), so moving along swiftly…

The Host is more than just a typical body-snatching action horror story though. Stephenie Meyer has created a wonderfully inventive and imaginative backdrop of life on other planets with senses, experiences and colours beyond our wildest imagination. Earth is not the first planet the parasites have colonised and colonisation has never posed a problem before!

Then there is the human factor. I’ve not actually read a book about body-snatchers before but I’ve seen plenty of films and they are usually all action and suspense with completely wooden and flat characters. The Host is different though and I enjoyed the character development and the relationships that formed between the characters. You really get drawn into the inner world of Wanderer (the parasite) and Melanie (the host) and her interactions with the other humans in the story. Jared, Ian, Jeb, Doc and Jamie were quite well developed.

For a story that primarily takes place in a dark labyrinth of underground caves, this is a surprisingly entertaining and engaging book and keeps you turning the pages until the the very end.

So why had I already decided to give it 3.5 stars when I was only half way through the book?

[Insert massive sigh here]

That would be down to the classic Stephenie Meyer afflictions of a Mary Sue protagonist and what I have coined “The Sally Field Complex”.

Both Wanderer and Melanie are too perfect for words. They are both strong, principled and absolutely pure of heart. You can’t help but hero-worship them in their wondrous glory for how admirable and self-sacrificing they are in their concern and love for the men in their life (singular, they are one body). They are absolute martyrs and men, it is okay to beat, humiliate, deprive and attempt to murder Wa-lanie because she hates herself and will forgive you and love you even more for it.

[That noise you are hearing is the sound of me gagging]

And who can forget the famous Sally Field Oscar acceptance speech of 1985? Why yes, you’d have to hit Wa-lanie over the head with that Oscar statuette (oh please, can I?) before the simpering idiot realises that “you like me, you really like me”. It is like Bella Swan at the end of New Moon all over again. (Okay, so maybe I’m misquoting Sally Field but I stand by my coined phrase).

Stephenie Meyer obviously has serious issues relating to insecurity, codependency and sexuality and that almost tanks what could have been a magnificent book. She lets her issues get the better of her and her books have set the cause of strong, independent and powerful women back by years. Do you think I’m exaggerating? Well, I’m obviously not the only one who thinks so: Twilight’s Bella Swan is a Feminist’s Nightmare.

Give me the magical matriarchy of the House of Night series or the essential and strong women of the Harry Potter series any day. (We all know that Hermione, Ginny and Mrs Weasley won that war).

Maybe I’m a bit too much like a reformed smoker (not that I’ve ever been a smoker) but I wasted so much of my life not believing in myself and thinking I was a hero for forgiving men that abused me. It takes a lot to overcome that lack of self-belief and self-esteem and as a strong, independent, vivacious and intelligent woman, I just don’t appreciate Stephenie Meyer’s message. So yes, the book gets 3.5 stars because I did enjoy it in the end but like with her other books, I’m left wondering why I bothered.

Oh, and in answer to your next question, of course I’ll be going to see New Moon this weekend. What would I have to complain about next week otherwise?

Doctor Who: Waters of Mars

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:23:39 PST

Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars
Written by Russell T. Davies And Phil Ford
Directed by Graeme Harper
Aired 15 November 2009, BBC One

It’s the beginning of the end for the Tenth Doctor as the last of the Time Lords finds himself at the Bowie Base One space station on Mars on 21 November 2059. The Doctor makes his entrance with the prescribed amount of silliness of course:

Captain Adelaide Brooke: “State your name rank and intention”

The Doctor: “The Doctor, Doctor, Fun”

The Bowie Base One is the first off-planet human settlement and once The Doctor establishes where and when he is, he realises that he needs to get off the planet immediately. This is the day that the Bowie Base One is destroyed and he can feel that something is definitely not right.

As the crew come to realise that something has gone wrong in the bio-dome, The Doctor is forced to accompany the Captain Adelaide Brooke and Dr Tarak Ital as they go to investigate the incident. And so we are drawn into one of the most exciting and action-packed instalments of Doctor Who I have seen in years.

This is a colourful, inventive adventure and for once, I was not left feeling short changed by Russell T. Davies. I loved how the episode was interspersed with “news footage” of the events of that day and together with The Doctor’s knowledge of what came afterwards, I felt it added depth and meaning to the whole story.

I don’t think it is too much to say that water plays an important part in this story but there I hope the possible spoilers will end. Water is a fantastic element to use in a thriller and the whole episode keeps you on the edge of your seats with that claustrophobic sense of impending flood.

The Doctor: “Water is patient, Adelaide. Water just waits. It wears down the cliff tops, the mountains, the whole of the world. Water always wins.”

Of course, more exciting than the action and adventure is the story of The Doctor himself. A Time Lord can regenerate twelve times and The Doctor we see on our screens today is in fact the same Time Lord as the one we met back in 1963. He is currently in his tenth incarnation and we already know that we will see the eleventh Doctor by the end of this year.

The most amazing thing about the Tenth Doctor is that we have come to know that for all of his Universe saving and Earth protecting, he has a darkness and a fury that runs deep within him. This was made perfectly clear in the “Fury of a Time Lord” speech at the end of (my favourite episode) The Family of Blood.

And so the end draws near for the Tenth Doctor and we come to realise that what might destroy this Doctor is not a physical death but his anger, his fury and his arrogance.

This was a fantastic episode and it might just be one of my favourites yet. Nothing will ever top the Harry Lloyd episodes Human Nature and Family of Blood though. (Happy birthday for yesterday Harry!)

All screencaps of the gorgeous and magnificent David Tennant are my own with full credit and copyright to the BBC. You can click on the images for their full sizes. Feel free to use or alter the images but if you do use them, it would be super nice of you to credit Emm and link back to this blog or credit missus_emm at Livejournal.

For more posts on Doctor Who click the label below.

Doctor Who: a fangirl emerges

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:24:21 PST

I have a deeply emotional connection to Doctor Who and the related Whoverse. I can remember, clear as day, being terrified by the Daleks at the tender age of six or seven and once we left England and moved to South Africa, Doctor Who came to embody everything I missed about England and hated about South Africa. I am sure a deeper analysis would prove that Doctor Who is at the very root of everything I am today including my obsession with everything supernatural, space or sci-fi related; my fear of the dark (and of upside-down bucket things with funnels) and my love of the colour blue.

I guess it speaks to how underwhelmed I have been recently with what Doctor Who has to offer because there are just about no reviews on this blog. In fact, there are no Doctor Who reviews at all. I was certainly disappointed with the Easter special Planet of the Dead. Well, I intend to correct that now. Starting tomorrow, I’ll review the latest Doctor Who special, Waters of Mars and post some fantastic stills and screen caps.

I’m then going to be watching and reviewing the original series starting with the episodes first aired in November 1963. I’ll try do that a couple of times a month but I don’t want it to get too boring. Maybe I should try watching the Who episodes on my iPod on the train! I might interlace this with some reviews of the latest incarnation of Doctor Who, starting with the Christopher Eccleston episodes back in 2005.

Indiessential: Editors

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:30:00 PST

Indiessential Albums of 2009

A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking that 2009 had been pretty uneventful as far as new music was concerned. I guess I was feeling a bit uninspired and disenchanted. Suddenly, it felt as if there was an explosion of new music and I rushed out and got four new albums. That in turn lead me to look again at the albums that have come out this year and to see if any were worthwhile. The results have been interesting and from now to the end of the year, I'll be posting about some of the Indiessential albums of 2009.

Editors - In This Light and On This Evening

[Photo Source]

The Editors are one of my favourite bands and first caught my attention in 2007 with their phenomenal album An End Has a Start. Up until now, their sound has been compared to that of Interpol and R.E.M. but with their third studio album, In This Light and On This Evening, Editors break all previous barriers.

It is not often that an album impresses me as much as this one has and I’m going to review all 9 tracks on the album. Links in the song titles will take you to the Last.fm pages where you can listen to the tracks.

Editors - In This Light and On This Evening
Record label: Sony Music
Release date: 12 Oct 2009

In This Light and On This Evening: really dark and it reminds me of VNV Nation. The strange thing is that it is this dark but he is talking of beauty! This track sounds nothing like their previous material. It starts off slow and melancholy and then erupts in a burst of heavy beats and electronic, synth driven melody.
Bricks and Mortar: carries on the electronic tune from the first song and Tom Smith’s signature voice returns and reminds us of the Editors we all fell in love with. This is an absolutely English album as he sings of London, pounds and pence.
Papillon: reminds me again of VNV Nation and The Mission too. This is a long way from the band that sounded like Interpol and R.E.M. It does make me wonder what a “sleep twitch” is though and what it has to do with butterflies and guns. Okay… my brother explained what a sleep twitch is and it still doesn’t make any sense! Nevertheless, I do think Editors might just be the best band around now.
You Don't Know Love: one of my favourite tunes on the album. It has an electronic, New Wave, emotional sound to it. It gets to a point where comparisons lose their usefulness and Editors consolidate their new sound and emerge as a top class band in their own right. This is a groundbreaking album.
The Big Exit: a strong tune with a catchy refrain, this song is another one of my favourites. ♫ "They took what once was ours, they took what once was ours" ♫ (sing along now)
The Boxer: this is my absolute favourite song on the album and is one of those songs that I just want to put on repeat and play it over and over again. It starts off a bit like Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy” but then it just gets absolutely brilliant after that and again, there is no use in comparisons. I really love this lyric: “an unwanted sun pulls rank in the sky”.
Like Treasure: this song is the most like their older music out of any of the songs on the album but there is a definite New Wave influence on the music again.
Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool: this is the strangest song on the album. I don’t have much more to say about it other than that. It is a good penultimate song though and leads well into the final song.
Walk The Fleet Road: there is that unmistakeably London setting again and it is also unmistakeably Editors. This song is theatrical and brave, thoroughly uplifting and a fantastic ending to one of the strongest albums I have heard in years.

For the first time in quite a while, I am happy to give an album 5 stars for sheer groundbreaking brilliance.

Editors - "Papillon”

The video to the third song on the album.

Editors links

Official Web Site

Myspace

Last FM

Film: Terminator Salvation (2009)

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:17:17 PST

When will I learn my lesson? When will I learn to ignore the reviews and to go see the films I want to see and make up my own mind? I was so scared of being disappointed by Terminator Salvation, afraid that it would be as bad as Terminator 3, that I listened to the terrible reviews and waited months to actually watch the film. Now, the only thing I am disappointed in is the fact that I didn’t go to see it on the big screen.

I know I usually wait until the end but I’ll start off by saying that I give Terminator Salvation four and a half stars; it loses half a star simply because it is not Terminator 2: Judgement Day. It is possible that it is a film that only die hard Terminator fans will love but then that label would apply to me.

Perhaps it would be best to take a step back and speak of my absolute love for Terminator 2…

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (how do I love thee…)

Terminator 2 is officially my Favourite Movie Ever^©. It was the first film that I went to see multiple times in the cinema and back in my days as a penniless university student, that was a huge accomplishment. I don’t think I had even seen the original Terminator film but something about this film just touched me.

I absolutely loved Edward Furlong in his role as John Connor and I was duly petrified by Robert Patrick’s performance as the T-1000. To this day, the score is one of my favourites and I loved the soundtrack too (especially Guns n’ Roses – You Could Be Mine). Here is the Terminator theme tune:

This is one of those films that haunted me for months and I would even say that it is partly responsible for my heightened awareness from that time about the damage we are doing to our earth and the environment. I never would have thought it would be so hard for me to put my love of this film into words!!!

The special effects were amazing, for the time. My favourite scenes are when Sarah Connor is hurtling through the hospital corridors and begins backtracking when she sees The Terminator and he says “come with me if you want to live”. I love it when the T-1000 pours himself into the helicopter seat and when he extends his arms into a sword and kills John’s foster mother. I loved when they were flying through the drains on the motor bike and the scene above was one of my favourites too.

I try not to think too hard about Terminator 3; it was abominable and I am surprised they carried on with the franchise after that. But I am so glad they did. I enjoyed Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and I loved Terminator Salvation.

Terminator Salvation

Terminator Salvation takes us back to the very beginning of the story which, in typical mind-bending Terminator style, occurs 34 years after the first Terminator film. Set in 2018, John Connor is a simple unit leader in the resistance, certainly not one of the main power players. What makes him different is his seeming ability to predict future events but this does not exactly endear him with his superiors.

What surprised me most about this film was not The Supreme Hotness that is Christian Bale (I am definite Team Christian by the way and loved his expletive-rich rant on set). Don’t get me wrong, young Master Bale was gorgeous in this film [insert gratuitous hot photo here]:

[Image Source]

Having heard so many bad things about the film, I didn’t expect to find myself so deeply submerged again in the race to prevent the rise of the machines. That post-apocalyptic air, the resistance fighters, the end of humanity and the absolute loss is what attracted me to Terminator 2 in the first place. Of course, in that film it was implied but in Terminator Salvation it was very real.

I am quite a sucker for these types of stories anyway. I loved the book Shade's Children by Garth Nix where body snatching machines use humans as pawns in their life-sized, chess-like games of strategy and I’m currently enjoying The Host by Stephenie Meyer.

Naturally, being a shameless fangirl with the full blessing of my partner to go forth and fall in love with celebrities, the best part of Terminator Salvation has to be [insert drum roll here] Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright.

[Image Source]

How is it possible that I didn’t notice this actor before? He’s gorgeous!

My favourite scene in the film is where John Connor has to show Marcus Wright that he is a cyborg.

[Image Source]

Anton Yelchin (from Huff and Alpha Dog) is brilliant as ever as a young Kyle Rees and Helena Bonham Carter is fantastic as the psychotic Dr Serena Kogan.

So where to from here? As I’ve said, the only flaw in this film in my not-so-humble opinion is that it isn’t Terminator 2 and I have threatened family and friends with dire consequences if i don’t have a brand new Terminator Salvation DVD in my Christmas stocking this year. As a massive fan, I loved this film and I can’t wait to watch it again. There is an interview on IGN with McG, the director of Terminator Salvation and it has a bit of news as to what we can expect in the next film: McG talks T5. I just want to know when we can expect it!

Book Review: Marked P.C. & Kristin Cast

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:45:44 PST

I’m surprised that I keep going for vampire books as it is not my favourite genre. But there I was standing in a bookstore the weekend after we moved house and I walked out with Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris and this book, Marked by P.C. ad Kristin Cast. I know why I chose Dead Until Dark as I am just loving the HBO series True Blood.

My reason for choosing Marked was absolutely noble though: I liked the cover and it was in the teenager’s section. After the drama of moving house, I just felt that I needed some easy reading.

I read the first couple of pages and then put it down in favour of Dead Until Dark which of course, I couldn’t put down until the very last page. I then started again, not really expecting much after the brilliant coolness that is the Sookie Stackhouse series.

In the world of the House of Night series, vampires have always existed and it is adolescent hormones that triggers the reaction in certain teenagers that leads to them becoming fully fledged vampires. (I reckon that happened to me actually as I was a fully fledged coffin kid from the age of about 15 until I was about 21). The book starts with the protagonist Zoey being “Marked” as a fledgling vampyre and having to move off to the mysterious Vampyre Finishing School known as the House of Night.

I loved this book. I absolutely enjoyed every single page (after we managed to escape Zoey’s mid-western high school) and this was one of the most thrilling books I have read since, well, the book I read before it. The best way I could describe this novel would be to say that it is a cross between the film The Craft* and the Harry Potter series. There are really strong Native American and pagan religious and spiritual components in the story and elements of witchcraft which may offend some people but I found them to be fascinating and exciting.

A lot of people don’t like the book and it is definitely a case of you’ll love it or you’ll hate it. Many reviewers have claimed that the book is too preachy and that the authors are trying to work their agenda to hard. I didn’t really see that at all. If anything, I remembered being fifteen and dividing my world up in black and white terms into losers, nerds, sluts and friends. I was super opinionated and I thought that was accurately reflected in this book. Just because the protagonist in a book has a certain point of view or opinion doesn’t mean it is right and doesn’t mean that the author thinks it is right either!

Anyway, there is no point going on about it. The sequels to both Dead Until Dark and Marked arrived from Amazon today and I can’t wait to start them. I’m reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer and enjoying it far more than I thought I would! How lucky is that, to really enjoy three books in a row? Then again, it is Stephenie Meyer and could turn into a pile of crap by the end of the book…

For thoroughly thrilling and entertaining me and making me order the sequel from Amazon the very minute I finished it, I give Marked five out of five stars.

* The Craft was a 1996 film about a group of four teenage witches and it was one of my favourite films of all time. It had a fantastic Graeme Revell soundtrack and featured a cover of the Smiths classic "How Soon Is Now". The song went on to become the theme song for the television series Charmed which was based on The Craft.

New Doctor Who logo in action

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:51:21 PST

I wrote a while ago about how I wasn't happy with the new redesign of the Doctor Who logo. Well, I have to admit, after seeing it in action with the accompanying sounds of the Tardis, it really, really does work.

In other news, the next Doctor Who television special Waters of Mars has screened in London and has been generally well received which is a relief. My whole Doctor Who experience was watered down a bit over the past 18 months or so what with the constant speculation as to who would replace David Tennant; his announcement of his impending retirement and last but certainly not least, the abominable Easter special. But I do think things are progressing in a really good direction.
Things to be excited about:

I'm happy with the choice of Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor…
…and I like Karen Gillan as the next companion
I now “get” the new logo and I liked seeing it in action
I am so glad Russell T. Davies is going
I’m glad Waters of Mars has been well received…
… and I feel I have reason to hope that the Christmas and New Year’s specials will be handled well
Finally, I am super happy that John Simm will be back as the Master

This is a cute article: John Simm has fun 'destroying' pal David Tennant.
I have to acknowledge that without Russell T. Davies, there would be no new Doctor Who, Torchwood or Sarah Jane Adventures. At the end of the day though, everything that I didn’t like in the past four years was down to him and I’m looking forward Steven Moffat’s more intelligent stories.

Visit Shownar for links to more Doctor Who blog posts or click on the links for the Doctor Who blogs in my side bar..

Southern Vampire Mysteries and the Gorgeous Sam Merlotte

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:20:46 PST

A couple of weeks ago it seemed as if I was the only living (or undead) person who was not submerged in the fabulous world of Sookie Stackhouse and the Southern Vampire Mysteries. Thankfully, that has all now been resolved as I started watching True Blood and bought the first novel in the series. As I now prepare to buy the next book in the series and to watch the second season, let me tell you a little bit about the fabulous world created by Charlaine Harris.

Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time waitress in a bar in Louisiana. Perky and cute as a button, you’d expect everyone to love Sookie except they don’t. In fact, they think she is plain weird. That is because Sookie can read minds which makes it nearly impossible to date and makes for uneasy conversations as she verbalises what people are thinking.

So when she meets the brooding, handsome vampire Bill Compton and realises she can’t hear a thing he’s saying, it’s pretty inevitable that she’ll fall for him.

I have to be honest, the blurb for this book makes it sounds average and certainly doesn’t do the book justice. This book is anything but average. First published in 2001, it is everything Twilight isn’t with grown up, realistic characters and normal, healthy sex. But it is the insight into Sookie’s mind (other others’), her strength and her plain old kookiness that makes this book so much fun. I’m hoping the next instalment Living Dead in Dallas arrives in the next couple of days because I can’t wait to get started on it!

This is (yet another) vampire book and in the story vampires are simply a fact of life as they have “come out of the coffin”. The first book focuses less on vampire mythology and more on the physicality of being an actual vampire. Given my very real aversion to blood, I found the book quite easy to stomach. What is most refreshing though is that there are no perfect characters but flawed people with normal weaknesses. I’m sorry – it may take me some time to get over the Mary Sue wish fulfilment fest that was the Twilight series.

For pure and thrilling entertainment, a load of fun, lovable yet flawed characters and not letting me put it down until I was finished, I give this book 5 stars. And I’d give it more if I could!

True Blood season 1

Any review of the HBO series True Blood is going to be incredibly difficult to do without spoiling parts of the story for people who have read the books but not watched it yet (or who are watching it but haven’t read the books). I don’t want to do that as I remember how the internet became like a minefield for me as I tried to avoid spoilers all over the place.

There are certainly a lot of differences between the books and the television series. In my mind, I’ll treat them as different entities in future and I’ll definitely try avoid the confusion again of trying to read the books while watching the show!! People have complained that certain characters in the show aren’t in the books but that just irritates me. I think we need to remember what came first and just as you can’t judge Dead Until Dark based on its similarities to Twilight (because Dead Until Dark came first and if anything, Stephenie Meyer stole ideas from it), you can’t judge the books based on what they did and didn’t contain from the television series.

Let’s just say I loved this show. I love the opening credits, I think Anna Paquin is fabulous as ever in her role as Sookie and I love the cast. I started watching the show before I picked up the books so my favourite characters are Tara, LaFayette and Jason.

I love the Southern setting in the show and I love that you can almost feel how hot and sticky it is down there. Coming from the makers of Six Feet Under, this is an absolutely irreverent, crazy show.

Sam Merlotte

My favourite character in the whole show has me seriously worrying about myself and who I am becoming. As ashamed as I am to admit it, it seems that I have fallen for yet another “nice guy”. How can this be happening??? I’m absolutely mad about Sam Merlotte (played by Sam Trammell) and I loved every single scene he was in.

Sam Merlotte is the owner of the bar in which Sookie works called Merlottes. He is really gorgeous in True Blood but I actually prefer the book in this respect as he has a much deeper character and you get to know more about him. I am 100% team Merlotte, that is for sure.

Here are some screencaps of the gorgeous Sam Merlotte taken by the legendary http://marishna.livejournal.com/. Marishna caps and reviews every single episode so her journal is definitely worth a visit.

Seriously? When did I start liking men with facial hair?? And shaggy, mullet-type hair styles?? There is something about Sam Merlotte that just makes me sigh. Those blue eyes – I think he’s drop dead gorgeous.

Maybe it’s the whole protective / grumpy thing?

I can’t begin to explain how hot I thought this scene was! He’s not exactly sex on legs like Ed Westwick but there is definitely something about him.

Oh yum.
Okay, I’ll stop now. Actually, I won’t. I’ve got the second book on order and now it is time to procure the second season of True Blood. Watch it – you won’t be sorry.

Boondock Saints Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:15:46 PDT

How did I miss this news??? The supreme hotness that is Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus is returning to our screen October 30th in The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.

My dear friend The Grynne isn’t too keen on the idea saying “ten years late, unfortunately. Sorry boys, but this sort of behaviour stops being charming when you've hit 40”.

And so I am torn between my absolute love of the original Boondock Saints and a sinking feeling that she may in fact be right.

Now, I am slightly closer to 40 than our Grynne so the idea that one should magically grow up when one reaches such an age is quite foreign to me. Nevertheless, after seeing the trailer, I will concede that I have aged much better than Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus in the ten years since Boondock Saints was released. As in, I still look young and pretty and um, they don’t. I mean look! They have wrinkles and are wearing make up to cover it!

Which makes me wonder why they bothered airbrushing these promo pictures to make them look younger – do they think we’ll go on off to see the film and not notice the contrast?

Billy Connolly is playing their father (again) which is an interesting choice to make. I mean, Irish and Scottish accents are almost identical, right? So there is no way Billy Connolly could sound absolutely ridiculous putting on a fake Irish accent, could he??? He sounds stupid. He sounds worse than I do when I try put on a Welsh accent and land up sounding Irish instead. He didn’t convince me in the first one and I am sure he won’t convince in this one.

Incidentally, this is an interesting article on why it took ten years for a sequel to be made: 'Boondock Saints'' Troy Duffy and Billy Connolly Praise Fans, Blast Critics. Back in the day, every single person I know went to see this film and it became a cult classic with us and a firm favourite. I had no idea they had such distribution problems because we all loved it!

Strangely enough, there are no release dates on IMDb and the message boards are rife with speculation. The clearest idea I can get is that it will only be released in Europe early next year once they gauge how well it does in the States.

Seriously? And they wonder why they have a problem with people downloading films illegally? When the world has been reduced to the size of an Apple Mac keyboard or even an iPhone, the last thing you should be doing is restricting access to electronic media based on geographic borders. Pfft.

I will go see the film, whenever it makes it to UK shores, and hopefully I will absolutely love it and fall in love with the Boondock Saints all over again.

Melrose Place – again?

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:15:57 PDT

Watching the new rehashed version of Melrose Place is a bit like moving back to university digs 15 years after you first escaped them. Where 90210 manages to feel fresh and new despite the return of Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty (in the roles of Kelly and Brenda), watching the whole Sydney Andrews and Michael Mancini show after all of these years just feels like a giant step backwards into the mid-90’s.

Still, they’ll have to solve the big, bad mystery of Sydney’s demise eventually and Thomas Calabro is only billed in a ‘recurring role’ so I’ve decided to give the show a chance.

The major reason for watching it is that I might have developed a little crush on one of the characters and this was the scene that did it:

Michael Rady as Jonah Miller, Melrose Place, season 1 episode 2

Yum! Look at those come-hither eyes.

It is totally out of character for me to like ‘nice guys’. Generally, I look for the meanest, grumpiest, most evil character in a film or show and that is the one I crush on. But there is something about Michael Rady and he makes the show worth watching. (I just hope this isn’t a new trend as I found myself liking Sam in True Blood). Perhaps he’ll turn into an evil demon or axe wielding murderer or something and my reputation can remain intact.

Katie Cassidy as Ella Simms, Melrose Place, season 1 episode 2

I’ve mentioned before how much I like Katie Cassidy. I just think she’s gorgeous and although her character Ella is really irritating on Melrose Place, she does have a fantastic wardrobe.

Katie Cassidy as Ella Simms, Melrose Place, season 1 episode 3

Nice wardrobe or not, her character isn't nearly as good as she was playing demon Ruby on Supernatural. Why they felt they had to replace her, I will never know.

Ashlee Simpson Wentz as Violet Foster, Melrose Place, season 1 episode 3

I'm not entirely sure Ashlee Simpson Wentz can act but she’s quite striking on the screen. With the Sydney / Michael show going on and the usual awkwardness between actors in a new series, there is room for her to improve and become believable but I really hope the producers don’t make her a complete Sydney clone.

Michael Rady as Jonah Miller, Melrose Place, season 1 episode 3

I thought I'd throw in another picture of Michael Rady (playing Jonah Miller). There are a great deal more actors in the show but overall, they are really irritating and I don’t really like any of them. I’d even go so far as to say that I dislike all of them except for Jonah. We’ll see. I just know that I’ll watch every episode in the series and it will maybe even become a guilty pleasure but I suspect I’ll give up on it just like I did with the original Melrose Place.

ITV Cancels Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:38:00 PDT

Ooooh, ITV, you've really upset me this time! Stephen Fry has announced in his blog post Kingdom Come, Kingdom Gone that ITV decided not to renew the hugely successful Sunday night drama for a fourth season.

This is especially upsetting in light of the fact that I only just discovered the show and really enjoyed it this season!

Kingdom was set in Norfolk and starred Stephen Fry as Peter Kingdom a “delightful” village solicitor. The show also starred my absolute favourite English actress Hermione Norris as sister Beatrice Kingdom, Phyllida Law as Aunt Auriel and Karl Davies as Kingdom's adorable assistant Lyle Anderson.

Seriously, what is wrong with the broadcasters in this country? First BBC cancels The Street and now ITV cancels Kingdom. The hallmark of British television used to be realistic and powerful drama but with the rate at which drama shows are being axed and replaced by crud, that reputation will certainly be a thing of the past.

New Doctor Who logo

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:00:02 PDT

So the BBC has decided to launch a new logo for Doctor Who.

Two words: not happy.

Trinity: risqué or blasé?

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:22:38 PST

Trinity is a new series showing on ITV 2 at 10pm on Sunday nights. I tuned in to the first episode expecting absolutely nothing as it stars Christian Cooke from that abominable (and now cancelled) show Demons. Well, well, well… I was surprised and pleased to be proven wrong yet again as Trinity is my new guilty pleasure.

What is it about the world of English upper class, private education that fascinates with its grandeur, ritual and wealth? In the real world, upper class snobs irritate me no end and it’s been said that schools like Eton are simply breeding grounds for brainless, lazy toffs; but on television, I love the idea of grand old schools like Trinity College and Hogwarts.

Trinity College is part of the fictional Bridgeford University and for over 900 years, it has been the exclusive domain of the super rich and powerful. That is until they decide to open up enrolments to the middle classed masses. But behind the facade of sex, mayhem and parties lies a much darker world with connections to the college administration and the ludicrously ostentatious Dandelion Club.

Christian Cooke is much better playing the morally bereft, super-rich brat Dorian Gaudain than he was playing "cute and hip Luke Rutherford in Demons. At the end of the first episode, he has the funniest exchange with super pious nerd turned fiery crusader Charlotte Arc (played by Antonia Bernath):

Charlotte: “I never, ever want to see you again!”

Dorian: “Wh- I live next door to you!”

My favourite character so far has to be the gorgeous Ross Bonham played by David Oakes. He is meant to be creepy and psychotic but he’s one of my favourite bad boys in ages. After episodes two and three, I’m not sure how much more we’ll see of him but I have a feeling he’ll be back.

How lovely is that? Oh, go on then, one more picture of Ross and Dorian:

Trinity is not a show for children and is shown well after the watershed for a good reason. There is gratuitous sex, language and nudity as well as healthy doses of incest, murder and suicide. Still, I’m quite enjoying it and even though I have a feeling I know where the story might be heading, I think it is subtle enough and really well done (as in, I think it is going to more supernatural thriller and less Carry On… Uni).

All pictures in the post come from the Trinity fan page at Facebook. In the words of the producer Ash Atalla:

"Trinity is a high-octane, ball-breaking drama. It's full of casual sex, casual drugs and casual murder."

So on that note, I’ll conclude that Trinity is definitely not blasé. Give the show a chance and then rush off and sign up as a fan!

Dannii Minogue Signs Her Public Death Warrant

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:36:45 PDT

It is the live television event that has the Internet in uproar and is causing websites to crash: Dannii Minogue’s seemingly homophobic comment to X Factor contestant Danyl Johnson.

Danyl is flabbergasted on hearing Dannii's remark
You can see his performance here and at the end of the clip, Dannii says to Danyl: “…but if we’re to believe everything we read in the paper, maybe you didn’t need to change the gender reference in it”. She is referring to the fact that Danyl had confessed in a News of the World interview to being bisexual and the fact that he had sang a “girl’s song” and changed the gender references.
I have to say that I have been a fan of Dannii Minogue for several years now and I loved her on X Factor but her comments were completely inappropriate and irrelevant. I actually felt sick to my stomach for minutes after hearing what she said as the magnitude of her comment sank in.
One commenter on the ITV site sums it up perfectly:

“icanseethesea 10/10/2009 23:15:15
I am not a website-posting kind of viewer, but feel compelled to do so. To watch a grown adult forced to mutter the words 'I'm not ashamed' was vile. Dannii Minogue may not have intended to cause hurt (as a gay woman myself, I actually believe her intentions were good) but if you can't articulate yourself professionally then you shouldn't be allowed on TV.”

Yes, Minogue is a gay icon who frequents gay clubs; yes, he had outed himself in the press already but she blindsided him and should have commented on his performance not his sexuality.
ITV took a full hour to upload Danyl’s video and at the time of posting this, there were 70 pages of complaints about Dannii in the comments section. OFCOM is probably having the busiest night they’ve had since the Anton van Beke scandal last week!
All in all, it was a night where the judge’s performance far outshone those of the contestants and I imagine we can see fireworks for the week to come. Read more about the night’s antics here.

EDIT: Dannii Minogue has issued an official statement at her blog:

"Dannii made a joke about the lyrics of Danyl's song, referencing a recent newspaper interview he has given about his private life. She spoke to Danyl straight after the show, explained what she was talking about and he wasn't offended in the slightest. Dannii is mortified if her comments have been misinterpreted as she has always been hugely supportive of the gay and bi-sexual community for her entire career." - source

Loot!

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:34:50 PST

We went shopping today at Bluewater which is this massive shopping centre just outside the M25 east of London. Let me tell you, I was in Emm Hell. Masses of mothers with their screaming, unhappy children; wives fitting their sulking, grumpy husbands for suits and snotty, skinny twenty-something strumpets barging past me in amongst the dark and gloomy English autumn fashions.
Shopping and shopping centres are my two worst things on Earth so I went into HMV and drowned my sorrows.
The loot:

Charmed Complete Series (seasons 1 – 8)

Charmed was one of my favourite television series ever, on a par with Homicide: Life on the Street and The X-Files. We certainly hadn’t intended spending £100 today but I’m pretty over the moon that we did!

Doctor Who series 3 volume 3

Doctor Who is my absolute favourite show in the world ever. I’ve watched it my entire life and it’s been on our screens since 1963! Human Nature, The Family of Blood and Blink were my favourite episodes of the show and I was so happy to see them all on one DVD that I just had to buy them! It was only £5.
Human Nature and The Family of Blood were the episodes that the wonderful and gorgeous Harry Lloyd starred in and I’ve been obsessed with him ever since I saw them.

Harry Lloyd as Baines, The Family of Blood

The Host – Stephenie Meyer

Seriously, I don’t know what I was thinking. I loved Twilight but by the time I got to the third book in the series, I couldn’t even bring myself to review them it was so bad. I chose to bypass Breaking Dawn entirely, opting instead to read Cleolinda’s hilarious summaries: Twilight means never having to say you're kidding.
But anyway. The Host was on sale for £5 and I thought I might as well. I’ve been a bit bored book wise lately so I may even buy Breaking Dawn one day, who knows.
I also bought a below the knee a-line, belted black skirt but that’s not half as exciting as the previous three items!

Music Monday # 11: Crackity Jones - Pixies

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:17:06 PDT

I'm meant to be going to a Pixies concert on Thursday. It is the 20th anniversary of their Doolittle album and they'll be playing the entire album during the show. It would be amazing to see them again but I fear I may be getting too old to be going to concerts on a school night.

Find more Music Monday posts at Lady Java's Lounge or by clicking my label below.

Robin Hood: Lardner’s Ring – screen caps

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:35:01 PST

I’ve noticed that the greatest number of visitors to my blog are coming through Google’s image search and thought it high time that I start giving my visitors what they want! I’m going to start off with Robin Hood because this was one of my favourite shows once and it was the reason I became so very obsessed with Harry Lloyd.

Lardner’s Ring was one of my favourite Robin Hood episodes and that had everything to do with the hotness that is Harry Lloyd. I’ve put a veritable treasure trove of screen caps and icons of Harry Lloyd, Lucy Griffiths and Joe Armstrong below.

Click here (or the title of this post) to see the rest of the post and the pictures (I’m just trying to save the bandwidth of those on slow connections).

These screen caps are usually used on the 'net for icon making and that type of thing. If you do use them, please credit Emm and link back to this blog or credit missus_emm at Livejournal.

Harry Lloyd as Will Scarlett

Best shot ever:

Phwoar!:

Will Scarlett 100x100 icons:

Joe Armstong as Allan-a-Dale

Lucy Griffiths as Marian Fitzwalter

Marian 100x100 icons:

Primeval Saved From Extinction

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:42:07 PDT

The Stage was reporting today that Primeval was resurrected in a ITV/UKTV deal. This move will be welcomed by fans after ITV announced in June that they had no plans to continue with the show after season 3.

The show will return to UK screens for two seasons from 2011. In a deal between ITV and the UKTV channel Watch, ITV will premiere season 4 in 2011 and Watch will premiere season 5 later that year. That is a lot of Primeval for one year and it will either sink the show or send its ratings into orbit.

Primeval remains the ITV’s main contender in the competition against Doctor Who and Torchwood.

ITV Press Announcement